Calender with extra roll



Dec 1967 R. c. SEANOR ETAL. 3,

CALENDER WITH EXTRA ROLL Filed April 12, 1966 INVENTORS REX C. SEANOR g. EVERETT PE RLBERG ATTYS.

United States Patent M 3,358,321 CALENDER WITH EXTRA ROLL Rex C. Seanor, Akron, Ohio, and S. Everett Perlberg, Fair-lawn, N.J., assignors to Adamson United Company, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Apr. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 542,097 3 Claims. (Cl. 18-2) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A conventional four roll inverted L-type calender characterized by positioning an extra calender roll substantially vertically above the offset roll. Stock is directed to the bite between the extra roll and the offset roll with the stock emerging from between the extra roll and otfset roll being directed to the bite between the offset roll and the top roll.

This invention relates to an inverted L-type calender in which an extra roll and an extruder, or any other flexing or feeding extruder, strainer, etc., that will provide a continuous feed of material, cooperate with the oifset roll of the inverted L calender to perform the initial work operation on the web.

It is the general object of the invention to provide apparatus which more efficiently and effectively controls the feed in the calender whereby the web will be produced at a more uniform gauge and of more uniform quality. By performing an additional work step on the web prior to the usual calendering operations in an inverted L calender it has been found that a higher quality web of more uniform thickness can be produced.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the invention, with the thickness of the web being greatly exaggerate; and

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view as seen from line 22 of FIG. 1, particularly illustrating the extruder and die of the apparatus of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral generally indicates a standard inverted L calender which works on a continuously moving web 12. As is well known, the inverted L calender is made up of four calender rolls adapted to take at least three bites on the continuously moving web 12. The rolls of the inverted L calender have substantially the same diameter with roll 14 being the offset roll or the calender roll forming the short leg of the inverted L, with calender roll 16 being the top roll in the inverted L calender, and with calender rolls 18 and 20 forming the long leg of the inverted L. It should be understood however that the rolls need not be of the same diameter to achieve the objects of the invention. For convenience, however, they are illustrated as having substantially the same diameters.

In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the invention, an extra calender roll 22 cooperates with offset roll 14 to take an additional bite on web 12, as best illustrated by FIG. 1. The extra calender roll 22 has substantially the same diameter as the other rolls in the invected L calender, and it is positioned substantially vertically above offset roll 14.

In order to feed a flat wide sheet of stock into the bite formed by the extra roll 22 and the offset roll 14, an ex- Patented Dec. 19, 1967 truder 24 is associated with extra roll 22. The extruder includes a casing 26 and a screw 28 received in the casing. Forming an integral part of the extruder 24 is a wide properly contoured die 30 which receives the end of the screw and extends substantially the full width of the calender rolls 22 and 14. The die has a pair of bellowed top and bottom sides 32 which flare out to shape the die to permit it to receive an increased diameter end 34 of the screw 28. The purpose of the increased diameter end 34 on the screw is to permit the stock to widen into the substantially flat sheet which is fed from the die 30 into the bite between the extra roll 22 and offset roll 14. It should be understood that to achieve the objects of the invention one is not limited to using an extruder. In fact, one could use any other flexing or feeding apparatus that will provide a continuous feed of material.

Adjustable mounting means 35, shown partially broken away, are provided to adjustably raise or lower the extra roll 22 so that the width and thickness of the Web 12 can be controlled thereby. It should be pointed out that use of the extra calender roll 22 in combination with olfset roll 14 permits an extra wide, flat sheet of web 12 to pass on to the bite between calender rolls 14 and 16. Thus, use of extra calender roll 22 permits regulating the thickness and gauge of the web 12 in a manner not heretofore possible in the standard inverted L calender. Use of the extra calender roll 22 also helps regulate the feed of the calender since, in eflect, an additional calendering operation has been performed on the web 12 prior to the Web passing through the standard L calender. It is critical to uniform calender operation conditions that bank 36 formed between calender rolls 14 and 16 be kept down to as small a quantity of material as possible. Since an additional calendering operation has been performed on the web, the volume of bank 36 between calender rolls 14 and 16 is reduced thus improving the uniformity of gauge of the web produced.

It is possible to adapt the extra calender roll 12 for cooperation with the standard inverted L calender with a minimum of increased power output and the quality improvements in the web realized thereby more than compensate for increased operating costs of the calendering operation.

While a certain representative embodiment and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A conventional four roll inverted L-type calender including a top roll, a middle roll, a bottom roll, and an offset roll characterized 'by an extra calender roll positioned parallel to and in vertical alignment with the offset roll, and extruder means delivering stock to the bite between the extra roll and the offset roll, said extruder means including a wide fiat die extending substantially the full width of the calender rolls so that as the stock emerges from between the offset roll and extra roll a substantially flat sheet of stock is directed to the bite between the oflset roll and the top roll.

2. A calender as in claim 1 wherein the extruder includes a screw having an increased diameter in the portion thereof that extends into the wide fiat die.

including a top roll, 'a middle roll, a bottom roll, and an offset roll characterized by an extra calender roll positioned parallel to and in vertical alignment with and above the offset roll, and feed means positioned to deliver a substantially flat sheet of stock of substantially the full width of the desired web to the bite between the extra roll and the offset roll so that as the stock emerges from between the ofiset roll and extra roll a flat sheet of stock is directed to the bite between the offset roll and the top roll whereby an improved quality web of improved uniform thickness can be formed in the calender.

Hood 182 Bourn 182 McCroban etal. 18 2 X Rocky et al 18-2 X Looser.

Campbell 18-2 X WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CONVENTIONAL FOUR ROLL INVERTED L-TYPE CALENDER INCLUDING A TOP ROLL, A MIDDLE ROLL, A BOTTOM ROLL, AND AN OFFSET ROLL CHARACTERIZED BY AN EXTRA CALENDER ROLL POSITIONED PARALLEL TO AND IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE OFFSET ROLL, AND EXTRUDER MEANS DELIVERING STOCK TO THE BITE BETWEEN THE EXTRA ROLL AND THE OFFSET ROLL, SAID EXTRUDER MEANS INCLUDING A WIDE FLAT DIE EXTENDING SUBSTNATIALLY THE FULL WIDTH OF THE CALENDER ROLLS SO THAT AS THE STOCK EMERGES FROM BETWEEN THE OFFSET ROLL AND EXTRA ROLL A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SHEET OF STOCK IS DIRECTED TO THE BITE BETWEEN THE OFFSET ROLL AND THE TOP ROLL. 